Pam van Hylckama Vlieg

I am very happy to report the first sale of my assistant-turned-agent Pam van Hylckama Vlieg (who you may know as the powerhouse behind Bookalicious.org…the premier YA book review blogsite)! In a three-book deal to Entangled Publishing, Pam sold Cecily White’s Prophecy Girl series starting with the first book: Angel Academy.

Angel Academy has already achieved a lot of success, culminating in a Golden Heart nomination in the YA category from the Romance Writers of America (RWA). This book deal is yet another notch in this talented debut author’s belt.

We will celebrate together at the RWA National Conference in July in Anaheim. There might even be a famous Mouse in the picture!

Check out bookalicious.org and Cecily’s rockin’ website cecilywhite.com

Cecily White

The Battle of the ZKA-named authors

Today Simon & Schuster announced that it is retooling its mass market paperback line to be eBook only. Called Pocket Star, it will feature women’s fiction, mystery, romance, thrillers and urban fantasy.

According to Executive VP at S&S, Louise Burke: “Similar to how mass market has served as a platform to develop future hardcover authors, it is our mission to use Pocket Star’s new digital-only format to establish new voices in the marketplace. An eBook imprint is flexible, cost-effective, cutting-edge and makes sense in today’s marketplace. Under the Pocket Star banner we will publish original works including full-length novels and novellas from some of our most popular authors.”

Lauren McKenna will serve at Editorial Director of Pocket Star. Titles will launch imminently and if any title sells well, it may also be published in print.

Last summer Random House announced their eBook only romance imprint, LoveSwept. Last fall the Berkley/NAL imprint of Penguin announced InterMix, their eBook only line for mass market genre fiction. And a few months ago Grand Central announced Forever Yours, their romance eBook imprint. There are more. There will be more. And I say, the more the merrier.

Shelf Awareness has a solid article on their website today sharing more details about the implications of the Microsoft investment of $300 million in a new joint venture formed with Barnes & Noble. Read about it here.

Microsoft just invested $300 million in a spin off company from Barnes and Noble, which includes what I feel is the future for the chain bookseller. NewCo, which is its temporary name and will certainly change, will contain all the Nook digital portion of B&N’s business, plus B&N College. Microsoft’s investment earned it a 17.6% equity stake in NewCo. And most importantly, this new company can be spun off from B&N (even to Microsoft) at any later date.

Plus, get this, the new company is already valued at $1.7 BILLION. In comparison, B&N is valued at around $760 MILLION.

Just this past weekend at a “Future of Publishing” lunch panel at the Redwood Writers Conference I predicted that B&N would not be here in 5 years if they continued along the same path they were going (lots of expensive brick and mortar stores and a limping Nook business). And I’ve been wondering for awhile now why Microsoft was not getting into the eBook game. Now I have my answer. How very interesting this publishing business has become.

For a more complete analysis, including today’s press release on the deal, go to TechCrunch.

For now…enjoy the beauty that is The Iron Legends cover.

The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa

They self-published one or all of their books!

So the next time you get the vibe from someone that your self-published book is somehow less than a major accomplishment, think about these authors. And remember their successes. Feel proud of your achievement. Not everyone can write a book, let alone publish one. Congratulations. And keep writing!

For a longer list of self-published authors, as well as some very interesting factoids on rejections, go to www.simonteakettle.com/famousauthors.htm.

Tuesday evening at 8 pm Eastern time, follow the Twitter hashtag #theimmortalrulesparty and join us for the lunacy that is Julie Kagawa’s famous Twitter Book Launch parties.

Last fall, when Harlequin Teen launched The Iron Knight, Prince Ash’s story, I thought my eyeballs would never recover from the manic mayhem of it all. In The Immortal Rules launch party tomorrow night, we’ll be talking about Julie’s newest YA series, Blood of Eden (no spoilers, we hope!) and giving away a bunch of swag and cool gifts. Plus we’ll reveal the cover of Julie’s second Iron Fey series, featuring a teen Ethan (swoon), at the end of the evening.

I’ll be there and I hope you’ll join Julie Kagawa and her friends.  I’m sure more details will be available on the Harlequin Teen and Blood of Eden websites. And since we just announced a big movie deal for The Immortal Rules, it should be amazing.

And so you don’t have to wait, go to bloodofeden.com and check out the contests and other fun stuff.
The Immortal Rules debuts Tuesday, April 24th!

Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules cover

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                             

Palomar Pictures Options The Immortal Rules and Blood of Eden Series

by New York Times Bestselling Author Julie Kagawa

Los Angeles, CA; Toronto, ON – April 18, 2012 – Independent film production company Palomar Pictures today announced that it has optioned Blood of Eden, the newest series from New York Times bestselling young adult author Julie Kagawa.  The Immortal Rules, the highly anticipated first book in the Blood of Eden series, will be published by Harlequin TEEN on April 24, 2012.

The Immortal Rules is set in a future world where humanity, decimated by a deadly virus, exists merely as a food source and slave class to an elite society of vampires. When a young woman, a survivor who dreams of the day humanity will rise up against their supernatural masters, is turned into a vampire, she is forced to choose between becoming what she despises or helping those who would destroy her

Palomar principal Joni Sighvatsson was passionate about The Immortal Rules’ film potential and quick to secure film rights for the book and the Blood of Eden series. “It’s simply a great story with an electrifying heroine for the 21st century.  It makes the series an ideal subject for a film adaptation,” said Sighvatsson. “Julie’s ability to familiarize the reader with this complex world in a few pages demonstrates the cinematic qualities of her imagination and complements my own sensibilities as a film producer.”

Julie Kagawa felt that Sighvatsson was the right producer to partner with because of his tremendous track record for getting his films made and his passion for her books. “Joni does not take on a project unless he really loves it,” Kagawa said. “He’s thoughtful and established, and I know he’s going to make a great movie that respects my material.”

Sighvatsson has acquired a solid reputation in the movie industry. With more than 40 feature-film credits under his belt, Sighvatsson has worked closely with a wide range of talent, both in front of and behind the camera. The trademarks of his projects are the pairing of visionary directors—such as David Lynch, Kathryn Bigelow, Nicolas Winding Refn and Julian Schnabel—with strong material. This has led to a body of work that is rich and diverse.

Natashya Wilson, senior editor for Harlequin TEEN, is thrilled that Kagawa’s novels are finally coming to the big screen. “Julie writes in such a cinematic way, I have seen her books as films from day one. Her fans have been clamoring for Julie Kagawa movies for a long time and I am so pleased that they are finally going to get their wish fulfilled!”

#theimmortalrulesmovie
@jkagawa

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About Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa is the New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning Iron Fey series. Born in Sacramento, California, she moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things: how to body board, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks and that writing stories in math class is a fantastic way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate. Julie now lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a plethora of pets. She still laughs whenever she sees a centipede. For more information on the Blood of Eden series, please visit BloodofEden.com.

About Palomar Pictures

Palomar Pictures is an independent film production company based in Los Angeles, California.  Owner and principal Joni Sighvatsson is a veteran Hollywood producer whose filmography includes WILD AT HEART, BASQUIAT, KALIFORNIA and ARLINGTON ROAD.  Since being acquired by Sighvatsson, the company has produced such films as K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson and BROTHERS directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal.  Palomar Pictures’ most recent feature was the action thriller KILLER ELITE, starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro.  Palomar announced a financial partnership with Grosvenor Park LLC in the fall of 2011 for three movies, including an adaptation of Stephen King’s Rose Madder.

About Harlequin

Harlequin is one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, with titles issued worldwide in 34 languages and sold in 113 international markets. The company publishes more than 110 titles monthly and more than 1,200 authors from around the world. Harlequin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin’s website is located at Harlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 19 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information, please visit Harlequin.com.

I just switched my agentsavant.com blog over to WordPress. In doing so I had to archive all of my posts up until 4/20/12. If you want an older post, just contact me via email or leave a comment here. Onward and upward!

-Laurie